Mentor’s advice still ringing true for Egan
The late Don Couchman had a big impact on Tina Egan’s development as a horsewoman, and the Stratford trainer said she still refers to her former riding master’s advice when making decisions with her horses.
There is one piece of advice that she has particularly lent on with her stakes performer Chajaba (NZ) (Keano), with the nine-year-old gelding having raced in the last four editions of the Listed Opunake Cup (1400m), and it remains the only stakes race he has contested.
“I did my apprenticeship with Don Couchman and he was very good at setting his horses for big races,” Egan said. “He said they will have little niggles everywhere but just keep going forward for that race you have aimed for, and that is what we did.”
Chajaba rewarded Egan with a runner-up result in the Opunake Cup behind Justaskme in 2023 before posting fifth and seventh placings in the last two editions of the race.
Egan had a nervous week getting her charge ready for this year’s running on Saturday, with her gelding involved in a float incident a week prior, but she remembered her former mentor’s advice and pressed on, and her efforts paid off.
“Last week at Hawera (where he placed behind Prioress over 1200m) on the way home he got his leg over the partition (in the float) and I have been battling all week to get that right,” Egan said.
“There was a little bit of nervousness (during the week) but I knew on Friday when I let him go in the paddock, and saw him rearing and bucking, I knew I had him right.”
Chajaba justified that assessment when he put in a top performance, and he looked the winner halfway down the straight, however, he was collared late by the Suzy Gordon-trained pair of Prioress and Turn The Ace to finish third.
Egan was rapt with her gelding’s effort, and she was pleased for Gordon to get the quinella.
“It was exciting,” Egan said. “She (Gordon) is such a neat lady, so good on her. That was awesome for her.”
Six of Chajaba’s eight wins have come at New Plymouth, and Egan said following a short freshen-up he will return to the Taranaki track in a bid to add to that tally.
“He just loves New Plymouth,” she said. “I will give him a week off and he will probably go back to New Plymouth on the 15th (of August).”
